Happy Holidays!

It's officially the holiday season! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving, ate lots of turkey, etc. I definitely ate my share. I love Thanksgiving food. My favorites are stuffing (w/celery! yum!), cranberry sauce, and pie. I can't get enough pumpkin pie. It's not because of Caleb, it's because I love pumpkin pie. I love it so much that after Thanksgiving, I had to make my own pumpkin cheesecake to have the rest of the weekend. I let Ethan have a few slices too.

Obviously Ethan and I have a lot to be thankful for this year! I started my new job with Microsoft, we bought our home in Renton, and of course, baby Caleb is healthy and on his way.

Speaking of Caleb, he's kicking a ton now. Today I even felt him kicking when I was standing up, which is a new thing for me. Usually I can only feel him when I'm sitting down. He doesn't kick all the time, and sometimes he has quiet time for hours and I get a little worried, but then he starts up again and I have to remind myself to take it easy.

One thing that kind of surprises me is that I don't feel like my belly is really growing that much. I was looking back on my weekly pictures, expecting to see all this change (because mostly I just feel huge compared to my old pre-pregnancy self), but nope - not much happening week to week. I think if anything, the bump is just moving up instead of out. Also - I'm not fishing for compliments at all, but I'm starting to feel like my top half is out of proportion to my bottom half! I've always sort of had a big bobble head going on, but now the rest of the top half matches my head...However, I'm not going to complain too much because I'm afraid the alternative is that my bottom half could expand to match the top, and that would not be good.

We didn't do that much baby stuff this week because the weekend was taken up with eating and cooking. We did pick out paint colors for the nursery. We are going with the minty-green color that is in the middle in the picture above. Before we paint the nursery we have to get a fan installed, and that probably won't happen until mid-December. We hope to have the nursery all finished in time for my baby shower in January, so we still have plenty of time.

Today, we went and got our first real Christmas tree to put up in the living room:



The picture doesn't really do it justice, but it's a great tree! It smells wonderful and it's about 7 feet tall. Plenty of room for all the goofy decorations we've collected over the years. We have everything from Hedwig the Owl to Kobe Bryant. I think most of the fun in decorating the tree is remembering where and when you got all the ornaments, so I don't care if the tree doesn't have a fancy theme.

We also broke out the three huge boxes of Christmas decorations and started decking the halls. The mantle looks pretty good (I love the snowmen and snow babies).

But the rest of the house is a disaster zone. I hate clutter, so we'll definitely have to finish up the decorating ASAP and get these boxes out of here.

I'm so sad that the four day weekend is over and it's back to the routine tomorrow! I don't hate my job at all, but I just love have free time to do whatever I want and laze around the house with Ethan. I'm consoling myself with the thought that Christmas is just around the corner and then I get a whole week off! Woot! Here is the baby update for the week, then I'm off to finish the laundry and watch Desperate Housewives.

How far along: 22 weeks, 2 days

Sleep: Now that I've figured out the side-sleeping bit, it's better. I still wake up a ton, and I have some problems with breathing at night (nose stuffy - throat dry), but I'm sort of used to it.

Best Moment This Week: Food! 'nuff said

Movement: Yup, Caleb was moving around a lot. He also started changing positions a lot this week that I could feel, because sometimes I feel him up high, sometimes down low.

Food Cravings: The appetite kicked it up a notch just in time for Thanksgiving this week! I get hungry every 2-3 hours no matter how much I just ate. I can see easily how women pack on the weight during this phase of pregnancy.

What I miss most: having abdominal strength. It's amazing how much your movement changes when you can't really flex your stomach muscles.

What I'm looking forward to: finishing up the Christmas decorations and getting the boxes put away. Also, I get to hear Caleb's heartbeat again at my appointment this week.

This Week: The bump is not doing weekly fruits anymore! The fruits are now every three weeks. I'm going to have to switch to a different source for fruit comparisons going forward. Here is the last one from thebump.com: Baby is the size of a papaya! Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop.

Workin on the nursery!

I can't believe another week has gone by already. Time is flying by, and with the holidays, third trimester is practically around the corner. I feel like I'm getting huge. I'm kind of dreading how big I'm going to get before this is all over.

Caleb was pretty active this week! I had a Jamba Juice on Thursday and it's like he was doing baby aerobics in there. Caleb looooves Jamba Juice! Ethan felt him kicking almost every night. He loves feeling the baby move and talking to Caleb. He also reads books to the baby, which is cute, but I have a feeling I'm going to get tired of hearing children's books read to my stomach once a week (I know - I'm horrible).

This week was all about the nursery. We got our crib on Wednesday (Thanks Sheryl!) and assembled it that night. Well, Ethan assembled it, I watched.

We also got our bedding on Friday. It's animals. I love it!

And Caleb got a fun monogrammed baby blanket to go in the crib:

The big art project this weekend was the name letters I made for Caleb. They are polka dotted and have little wooden animals on them. I can't wait to hang them in the nursery. Ethan and I also bought a fan for the nursery, and picked out paint colors. We'll probably paint in December over the Christmas holiday, and then it's just a matter of putting up our decorations.

It was a very busy weekend with all the shopping, crafting and decorating. I'm pretty exhausted! I wish I had another day off. Back to work tomorrow, but it's only a two day work week for me. Woot!

I dont' have the energy to write too much more, and I've got Magic Cookie Bars in the oven, so here is the baby update for the week:

How far along: 21 weeks, 2 days

Sleep: This was a rough week for me with sleep. I was getting terrible headaches for a week, and I finally figured out it was due to sleeping on my back. I think somehow sleeping on my back was causing me to have neck problems. So I started sleeping on my side, which wasn't comfortable for the first few nights, but I'm getting used to it.

Best Moment This Week: Putting together the crib with Ethan

Movement: lots! Still not regular, but much more frequent. Plus, Caleb kicks every night when I lay down to go to bed.

Food Cravings: I don't know if it's a craving, but I love celery. I could eat it every day.

What I miss most: Sleeping on my stomach

What I'm looking forward to: Turkey!

This Week: Caleb is the size of a banana this week. Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid.

It's a boy!!!

Caleb Reid Schwaber is halfway done cooking and things are looking great.

We were so excited to find out that he was a boy this week. I kind of thought that the baby was a boy, so I can't say I was surprised, but we were both so happy. Everything looked great at the ultrasound. Caleb is healthy and growing just fine.

We had a party to announce the gender and celebrate the halfway point with some of our friends. For the party we had some cupcakes made up with blue pudding inside. First everyone guessed boy or girl, and then we ate the cupcakes. It was fun to watch everyone bite into the cupcakes and be surprised.

We also finished the registry this week and set a date for the baby shower! I can't wait! Carrie is already doing a great job with the planning, so I'm sure it's going to be an awesome time. I bought another cute outfit for Caleb this week, and one of my friends, Aydan, also bought Caleb an adobrable sailboat outfit. He's already getting a little wardrobe!

Aunt Elayna got this cute bib for the baby as well:

Also, I found this adorable Sock Monkey at Halmark that is nearly the same color scheme as we will use for the nursery.

I felt Caleb kicking pretty much every day this week. His kicks are getting stronger and more regular. Hopefully soon Ethan will be able to feel them.

Here is the baby update for the week:

How far along: 20 weeks, 2 days. HALFWAY!!

Sleep: I had a couple rough days this week but made up for it this weekend

Best Moment This Week: Finding out that baby is a boy

Movement: Feeling kicks every day!

Food Cravings: Not really, but I feel like I ate a ton this week! I might need to cut back on the pigging out, but we'll see how the weight is at the next appointment

Belly Button: Innie. I'm sort of doubting whether this will ever change.

What I miss most: Not having a headache. I've had a headache all week. Ugh!

What I'm looking forward to: Starting decorating the nursery

This Week: Baby is the size of a cantaloupe. Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation...baby's genitals are now fully formed!

19 Weeks

It was a big week for Baby S.

I finally felt the baby kick this week! I have thought I felt little movements here and there in the past, but this week I could definitely feel kicks and I knew right away what they were. I put my hand on my stomach and could feel the little baby nudging away in there. Feeling the baby move is wonderful and it really makes me realize that there is an actual living thing growing in there. It's hard to describe, but it makes my connection to the baby so much stronger. I don't feel it very often, so Ethan hasn't been able to feel it yet. I'm hoping in a few weeks when the movements are more consistent, Ethan will be able to feel the little one move too.

We did so many baby things this week. I got really excited about registering and added a bunch of stuff to my Babies 'R Us registry. At first I was overwhelmed at the idea of all the baby items we need to buy, but I've been having a lot more fun with it lately. I love looking at all of the cute baby gear and thinking about what the nursery will look like, but the thing I love most about registering is imagining the baby using all the things and thinking about what life will be like once he/she is here.

I was at the mall yesterday and noticed that the Pumpkin Patch store (cutest kids clothes ever!) was having a buy one get one 50% off sale, so I bought baby's first outfit!

I wanted to buy more clothes, but I'm waiting until we find out the baby's gender to really go crazy. Only 3 days until we know if it's a boy or a girl!! I am excited to find out the gender, but mostly I just want to see the baby on the ultrasound again. I can't wait!

On Wednesday night this week, we went to visit the Birth Center where I will be delivering the baby. We met Kelly, one of the nurse practitioners who works there at our last ultrasound and she gave us a personal tour. It is so nice, and I'm actually looking forward to having the baby there. One of the things Kelly asked me is if I had a birth plan yet. uhhh.... I hadn't even thought about it! The only thing I've decided is that I want to take HypnoBirthing classes. So I went to BirthPlan.com and started looking at their checklists. There is so much to consider!

Ethan and I also got a class schedule for new parent classes that they offer at the hospital. We'll probably take a class sometime in January and learn how to take care of baby. Hopefully most of it will come naturally, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

Today, Ethan and I are going to head out to pick out our crib and the rest of the nursery furniture. I'll update next week with pictures of the bedding and crib that we choose :)

Here's the baby info of the week:

How far along: 19 weeks, 2 days

Weight: +7 (maybe 8 by now)

Sleep: Pretty much back to normal for now. I get up a couple times a night and don't really need the unisom any more. I'm going to buy a Snoogle today at BRU, which is a big pregnancy pillow to help me sleep more comfortably on my side.

Best Moment this week: Feeling the baby kick for real. I love it!

Movement: Occasional kicks. It's not frequent, but when baby kicks it really kicks!

Food Cravings: Veggies! I want fresh veggies all the time.

Belly Button: Same

What I miss most: Nothing right now! I'm just really excited at the moment.

What I'm looking forward to: Finding out if Baby S is a he or a she.

This Week: Baby is the size of a mango. Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of languo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats the baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if the baby is premature.

18 Weeks

Happy day after Halloween! I have to admit I was a schmuck and didn't dress up. I kind of wanted to find a cute shirt with a pumpkin on the belly or something similar, but I waited to long and couldn't find anything at the last minute. Ethan dressed up as a pilot.

We had a great Halloween. I started out the day with some house cleaning. The bathrooms really needed it! Then Ethan and I went to Baby's 'R Us to start picking out things for a registry. Registering is a little overwhelming, just because there are so many things to pick out! Since we don't know the gender yet, we mostly just went for basic stuff like a baby carrier and some toys that will be cute either way. We'll pick out bedding and stuff like that once we figure out if it's a boy or girl. I don't know, I kind of like the gender neutral stuff more anyway, so it might not end up mattering that much! Some of the Safari Theme stuff was really cute with monkeys and lions. There was also some adorable bunny and puppy stuff that I liked, so we'll see. Decorating the baby room is going to be fun! What I'm most looking forward to shopping-wise is buying cute baby clothes though. What I'm least looking forward to is picking out a carseat, so hopefully Ethan will do that for us. After the trip to the baby store, we went over to my sister Carrie's house for a Halloween party. Even though I couldn't drink (and everyone else was definitely pointing that out to me! :p ) I had a great time hanging out and of course, watching the trick-or-treaters collect their candy.

Baby S is really growing this week!

My belly already seems so big to me, I can't imagine what it's going to be like in a couple months. I'm sure I'll look back on this and laugh at myself for feeling big now! Baby and I had a great midwife appointment this week. I heard the baby's heart beating and the midwife said that the baby is growing right on track for 18 weeks. During the appointment I asked about getting the H1N1 vaccine, and they will hopefully have some this coming week. I've already had the regular flu shot, so once I get that Swine Flu one, baby and I will be fully protected (or at least as much as we can be). Also, I finally scheduled the 20-week ultrasound where they will do a full anatomy scan of the baby and hopefully tell us the gender. The big day is November 11th, one week from Wednesday.

I'm trying to decide if I should just announce the gender on Facebook or something like that for everyone to see, or if I should try to have a little mini-party that weekend and do the gender-cake thing. That's where you fill a cake with either pink or blue icing and let people know the gender when they cut it open. It sounds like fun, so I'm thinking about it.

Here are the baby stats for this week:

How far along: 18 weeks, 2 days

Total Weight Gain: 7 pounds. typical range is between 8 and 12 pounds, so I'm doing good!

Sleep: Actually sleep is improving lately. I only get up a couple times a night. I'm thinking about getting one of those snoogle body pillows though, to help with sore back/hips

Best moment this week: Hearing the baby's heartbeat at my midwife appointment

Movement: Same - I think I feel some tiny movements off and on, but nothing consistent, and not really that noticeable.

Food Cravings: hmmm...I don't know if it's a craving, but I have a preference for fresh foods like fruits and vegetables.

Belly Button: In

What I Miss Most: Feeling like I was in decent shape. I get out of breath going up the stairs these days!

What I am Looking Forward To: finding out the gender!

This Week: Baby is the size of a sweet potato. Your fetus has become amazingly mobile (at least compared to you), passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, baby's finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon.